Roses and Waltzes
by Lilactime
Summary: A three chapter story that serve as a Prologue of sorts to my ongoing Multi-chapter "I'd Send a Blackbird to Steal Your Heart" They take place a year and a half and six months, respectively, before the events of "Blackbird" and are a view of some sweet exchanges between Cedric and Sofia on her 20th and 21st Birthdays. (Slightly AU)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This will consist of two one shot stories (Prologues of a sort) that take place before the events of my Ongoing Multi-Chapter story "I'd Send a Blackbird to Steal Your Heart" they take place a year and a half and 6 months before the story proper. The events of these are mentioned in Ch. 8 and Ch. 9** **of the Multi-chapter, so you may want to read that before these if you haven't. (Please do!)  
** **I was inspired to write these since my Birthday is the 30th and I thought that'd it be fun to have a couple of cutsey stories, since the tone of my Multi-chapter is getting bleak.**

 **This Chapter is dedicated as a Birthday gift to the wonderful, Prisoner of the Mind. Not only is she awesome because she shares an August Birthday, but she has written some amazing Fics herself ("The Best of Intentions" "Jealousy" and "The Ties That Bind") Check them out, they're wonderful!  
Happy Birthday, my dear! Thanks for all the support you've given me.**

Age:20- Roses

It was a cool and crisp September day in Enchancia. Summer had gone when the heat died down and autumn reached for her golden crown and that hue along with brilliant reds and oranges were beginning to appear about the foliage. There would be so many festivities taking place in the following weeks. The Harvest Festival and then on it's heels would come Halloween, and soon enough Wassailia. Cedric knew he would be busy all too soon dealing with decorating for these events with whatever desires King Roland II or one of the children might have and he dreaded it. He was busy enough with keeping a full stock of potions or attending to the oh, so "very important needs" of one of the members of the royal family. The last few weeks had proved to be almost leisurely in comparison and he wished that the feeling could last. But it could not. In fact, he was well aware that today was yet another day that would require him to leave the sanctity of his tower. It was Princess Sofia's Twentieth Birthday and he was invariably to perform a magic show at her party.

He shook his head. Why the girl would want him performing at all was a mystery to him. She was well past the age of such things and It wasn't as if she didn't already know these tricks herself, the Princess practically spent all of her free time in his workshop anyway, learning this or that trick. She was so consumed with the wonder of magic. It was so… irritatingly charming. Although, to her credit, he had to admit, she was quite the talented little Sorceress. If not too ambitious for her own good at times. But he did take a bit of pride in the accomplishments of his apprentice. Although he'd never tell her that. Not very often at least.

He thought back to the party, he was loathe to admit it but of anyone in the castle if he had to perform some silly parlour tricks he was glad it was for Sofia, who would treat them as if they were some grand display of magic and then she would invariably say: "Mr. Cedric is the greatest Sorcerer in all the world, isn't he?" he shook his head at the thought and sighed. Suddenly a strange idea came to his head, perhaps by asking him to perform a magic show, it was her way of wanting to include him in some capacity to celebrate with her. Yes, that was something Sofia would do. He tried to be touched instead of annoyed, but annoyance seemed to be winning, and for that, he felt guilty.

He felt guilty too, for the fact he had no gift to give her this year. He wasn't the best in these type of things. In the past he would perform a simple spell he knew she would enjoy or more often than not make her fly cakes since he knew she liked them. When she turned Seventeen and had officially started her apprenticeship, he had crafted her a wand to use, but what was he to do now? Normally, he wouldn't let it bother him except for the fact she was constantly giving him gifts for his Birthday or Wasallia or in the last year or so, any little occasion. It was touching, but left him feeling obliged to reciprocate the gesture and he was stymied as to what the girl could possibly want when she already had everything.

He glanced over at his shelf and there sat the Wand case she'd made him so many years ago, along with other little trinkets from over the years, and in a box, the gift she had given him for his last birthday, a new bowtie. She had made it herself. It resembled the one he normally wore, being the same shade of yellow, but made of a much better quality silk, most likely from Wei-ling, and it wasn't just solid, it had a design of darker gold damask almost imperceptible among the silk and black thread where she had hemmed the sides. It was a lovely and thoughtful gift, because he knew she had noticed the one he always wore had grown rather shabby over the years. Still, he couldn't bring himself to wear it and he wasn't sure why. He made a mental note that perhaps he should wear it tonight at her party, it might please her. Serve as a sort gift like gesture? And then he berated himself, what kind of a gift was that?!

"I'm not being a very good friend, to her, am I?" he questioned aloud. Wormwood who was in the corner squaked at him in reply and though the Sorcerer couldn't understand the bird, he thought perhaps he knew what he meant. " _Friend_? You're not supposed to be her friend. What kind of a friend would contrive to steal her amulet and overthrow her father for the first few years of their "friendship? The Amulet is what you want. She's simply a means to an end." and it was _true_ after all these years, he _did_ still want the Amulet of Avalor. Didn't he? Well, maybe it wasn't as important as it had once been. After all, he did keep putting it off, and even if some desire to wield its powers remained. Well, now was not the time. He would get it. Eventually. But for now his thoughts shifted back to Sofia and the fact it was her birthday and he had to perform a magic show and he had no gift for her. He was actually surprised that he hadn't seen her so far today. That was a good thing. It would give him time to plan out something for her.

Then Suddenly, as if she had read his thoughts, he heard her familiar knock and her singsong voice call out to him:

"Ohhhh Mr. Cedric, are you there?!"  
He sighed. So much for that. He quickly sat down and feigned looking at a spellbook.  
"Yes. Come in, Princess." he called back.

Sofia trotted in, smiling, her blue eyes bright with excitement.

"Hello Mr. Cedric,What are you upto today?" She inquired in a cheerful voice.  
"Reading. As you can see." he replied in a very irritated tone.

The girls smile started to falter a bit and the bright look in her eyes was momentarily replaced by one of hurt. Cedric instantly regretted being harsh with her. It was her birthday, after all.

"But uh, that can wait of course.. is there something you wanted, Princess Sofia?" he asked giving her a flat smile.  
She looked away from him. She was different somehow. Suddenly diffident and uncertain.  
"Are you sure I won't be bothering you?" the shift in her mood puzzled him. This wasn't the Sofia he knew, who was always so cheerful and confident. This didn't suit her at all.  
"When do you ever bother me?" he asked teasingly hoping that it bring her back to their familiar banter. She smiled at him, but the look in her eyes was still strange.

"Well, you know what today is, right?"  
"Today? Why I do believe it's Sunday, isn't' it?" he'd looked away from her, but held his gaze out of the corner of his eye to see how she would react.  
She stared at him, mouth slightly agape but with a brow quirked, As though she were uncertain if he were being sarcastic or if he'd truly forgotten.  
He turned to face her. "Of course, I know what today is. Happy Birthday, Sofia." he said giving her a genuine smile. She returned the gesture and looked relieved.  
"You didn't really think I'd forgotten, did you?"  
"Well, no, but I do know how busy you get and sometimes you do forget things. Even if you don't mean to."  
He shrugged his shoulders. She was right of course. He was horrible with dates and he did forget birthdays and other events quite frequently.  
"Well, it's hard to forget what today is, know you have a magic show to perform." it came out a little more annoyed than he meant it to.

Sofia looked away, suddenly shy again and began twisting at her hair.  
"Oh, yes. I really hope you aren't too annoyed by that. I'd actually wanted to invite you as my guest, but I didn't know if that would be too… awkward for you? I didn't want you to feel awkward and I know my friends can probably be overwhelming." she let out a false little laugh and continued. "But I really do want you to be there and I thought you'd be more comfortable if you were doing magic. Besides, everyone is so excited to see your show. My friends all love your magic tricks!"  
"Sofia, your friends are now in their twenties, I don't think they're particularly enthralled by magic shows anymore."  
"Are you crazy?! They love you, Mr. Cedric! We all do. They'll be so excited to see you. Vivian and Kari have asked about you. But, I understand if you don't want to…"  
Cedric sighed. "Of course I want to, Princess. It'll be my pleasure."  
She smiled brightly and he returned the gesture, although it was a bit more subdued. He didn't believe her, of course. He doubted the young royals had any desire to see magic tricks that had entertained them as children. It was a pity things had to change sometimes. He suddenly realized she said she wanted him there and not just as entertainment.  
"You really want me to be there, do you?" he asked. Not meaning to say it aloud.  
"Of course I do! You're one of my favorite people, after all!" she said brightly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He felt an odd sensation in his chest. Not unfamiliar, but not typical either. It was something he only seemed to feel when he was around Sofia. "Th-thank you, Princess."  
"Always!"  
"Is that all?"  
"All?"  
"I mean, you didn't just come to ask me if I remembered your birthday, did you?"  
"Oh, no, I'm sorry! I got sidetracked with our conversation. I actually _Did_ have something I meant to ask you."  
"And just what might that be?" he drawled.

"Well… um… it's silly." she started twisting at her hair again, looking shy. It was maddening.

"Sofia, just tell me, won't you? I'm sure you've asked me worse." he said in a playful tone.

"Well, there are some roses blooming in the garden. The last of the Summer blossoms. I was wondering if you would come look at them with me?"

That was an odd request. He had little interest in flowers, unless he was using them for a potion or a spell. Yes, he could appreciate their loveliness, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to make an impromptu trip outside the solitude of his Tower to look at something he'd seen before.

"Oh, I don't know, Princess. I have an awful lot to plan before your party tonight and I'm sure you have things to do as well. Why not ask one of the twins?"

She looked crestfallen. "Oh, well because, you see, I really wanted _you_ to go with me."

"Why in Merlin's name would you want that?"  
"Well, because… um... " she looked oddly flustered.

"Just… _please,_ Mr. Cedric… You can consider it my birthday gift!"

He thought for a moment… well, this got him out of one problem. He thought about it for a moment or two. And glanced at Sofia, she looked at him imploringly with those large blue eyes and he knew he had no choice, because she wouldn't stop til she got her way.  
"Ugh… Alright, fine! … let's get this over with!"  
The girl gave a delighted squeal "Ooh, Thank you, Mr. Cedric! You won't regret this!"  
"I'm not so sure about that…"  
"Let's go!" and Sofia grabbed him by the hand and pulled him to his feet, barely giving him time to grab his wand, before leading him out of the tower doors and down the steps completely ignoring his protests.

Gift or not, what had he gotten himself into?

* * *

Cedric was relieved to find the weather nice and cool, and the sky to be slightly overcast. At Least he didn't have to worry about the rays of the sun beating down on him. Sofia was walking by his side talking about the flowers. He listened politely, but was getting a bit annoyed. For Sofia's sake he tried not to make it too evident.

"Amber gave me a book about the Language of the flowers! Did you know that they all have a certain meaning?!"  
"Yes, I'd heard that." he replied evenly.

"I think it's mostly for lovers," she blushed slightly as she said this, "But I thought it was interesting. For instance, do you see the Carnations over there?" He nodded.  
"Well, the carnation in general means 'Fascination, or Divine love', but different colors or patterns mean other things. For example, Pink means, 'I'll Never forget you' and Red means 'My Heart aches for you or admiration', but a Yellow carnation means 'You Have disappointed me or rejection!'  
"Oh?" he was completely uninterested.

"Mhm! Amber was saying that it would be so dreadful to accidentally give someone the wrong flower, or one that meant something contrary to what you wanted to say…."

Cedric frowned. Her talk of flowers brought back an unpleasant memory from his younger years. The memory of a golden haired young woman sitting amongst a group of her friends, and he , young , clumsy and shy, had come up to them, shyly handing her a small bouquet of Marigolds. She had been very polite and smiled as she accepted the bouquet, but her smile was forced and there seemed to be a level of gauchetiere in the whole situation . He recalled the look of pity in her eyes and the sound of her friends laughter as he walked away. It was something he'd repressed and the sudden flash of remembrance, brought on a great deal of anxiety and he started to get irritated.  
"You sound just like her, you know!" He snapped.

Sofia looked up at him, taken aback by the sudden display of emotion.  
"Sound just like whom?" she questioned.

"Princess... Amber."

"Is that such a bad thing?" she asked

"It is when all you do is prattle on about meaningless, vapid topics! I'd be much more impressed if you could tell me their healing properties, since that's actually something you're studying." he started to rant until he saw the expression Sofia wore on her face, one of concern and what may have been hurt and annoyance. He instantly regretted his outburst.

"Carnations have numerous healing and medicinal qualities. They're used as an alleviant for seasickness, they can also be brewed into a tea or an infusion to help alleviate stress and nervousness, as well as help cure some coronary disorders." she recited mechanically. She then looked at him and with an edge to her voice said : "Perhaps, we should pick some for you to brew, before you have one?"

Cedric swallowed. Instantly feeling guilty and slightly embarrassed.  
"Right. Well, I suppose I deserved that last bit." he admitted.

She nodded, still annoyed and now frowning.  
He studied Sofia who continued to frown. He'd upset her.  
"I told you this was a bad idea!" he exclaimed. "I don't know why you insisted I come out anyway!"  
"I just wanted to spend time with you!" the girl cried.  
Cedric quirked a brow at her. What an odd thing for her to have said.  
"S-spend time with me? What in the world are you talking about?! Why would you want to do that? You see me practically every day!"  
"That's not what- I just- Oh, nevermind! If you want to go back to your tower, then you should!"  
"Well, I just might!" he declared. He was very tempted to do just that. What was _wrong_ with that girl. He was all set to go back, until he looked at her. She was really quite upset. She walked past him, head lowered and shoulders drooping, obviously sulking. And he knew he couldn't leave her in this state. Not on her birthday. Not when she'd said she wanted to spend time with him. Merlin knows why.

He sighed heavily and internally kicked himself for caring, as he walked over to where she stood.  
She was looking at Marigolds. Of course she was.

"Ghastly, little things aren't they?" he asked in a bored tone.

She looked up, seemingly surprised he was still there. She gave him a small smile.  
"Oh, I don't think so. Why would you say that?"  
He shrugged in reply. He couldn't very well talk about that topic with her, even if she was his best friend. Somethings needed to stay in the past.  
"What do _they_ mean?"  
"I thought you didn't care."  
"Well, I'm asking now! Are you going to tell me or must I ask Princess Amber to loan me her book?" he drawled, hoping to bring some humor back once again. That had the desired effect and she giggled.  
"Well, they can stand for passion and creativity. Sometimes they are used in love charms. The book says they can also represent, Grief, Cruelty and jealousy, but that's when they're used in combination with spells, so of course you knew that already."  
"Yes, I suppose I must have known that… but, I guess I'd forgotten... ." he frowned, yes, so very fitting for him. Cruelty, grief and jealousy. How he wished somethings could be forgotten.

He stood there deep in thought.  
"Mr. Cedric, are you alright?" he looked down at her and nodded.  
He watched as she quickly stooped and plucked one of the golden flowers:  
"Marigolds are also an antidote for the sharp tongue and they help promote cheery conversations." she recited, as she offered the flower to him, with a pointed look.

He accepted it, slightly amused by the exchange.  
"I suppose you're suggesting I pick them all the time then, are you?" he smirked.

Sofia smiled "It might help." She paused for a minute and frowned again.

"If you really want to go back to your tower, you can. I shouldn't have made you come out."  
Cedric groaned internally, the girl was playing on his sympathies. He wasn't sure if it was intentional or not. Somehow at the moment, he didn't think it was. She had that air of diffidence again. He couldn't bring himself to leave her just yet, and he really didn't understand why. He supposed it _was_ because she was his friend, she'd do no less for him. In fact, she'd do much more. The part of him that longed to go back to his tower, screamed in protest, but he ignored it.  
"I can't do that yet… you said there was a flower you wanted to show me. What was it?"  
She beamed at him. "Do you mean that?!"  
"Yes, yes, just show me, before I change my mind!"  
She took him by the hand, and led him in the direction she wanted to go, as per usual.  
"It's the roses. They're up this way." they walked in silence, but Sofia seemed oddly contented and somehow it must have been contagious, because perhaps he suddenly felt a bit of contentment too. Not that he'd ever admit it, because then she'd want to go out to the garden and look at roses all the time and he wasn't going to do that.

"Did you ever pick any flowers for anyone?" The brunette queried.

Oh Merlin, why must she keep harping on this subject? Either she hadn't picked up on the fact that it had caused his initial distress, or she was doing it on purpose to irk him. As sweet as Sofia could be, he was often convinced she purposely did some things just to annoy him. Such as, mispronouncing his name when she was a child. He looked down at her again, ready to say something sarcastic, but she was smiling up at him and still holding his hand. " _It's her birthday, Cedric, she's your friend, she doesn't know."_ he repeated silently to himself. He forced a smile.

"Well, Mummy was always terribly fond of Zinnia's. I remember picking those for her when I was a lad. What do they mean?" he asked trying to be kind.

"Do you really want to know?" she teased.

"No. That's why I asked, because I have no desire to know what so ever."

"Well, do you remember what color? Different colors mean different things."

"I recall her being particularly fond of the Magenta ones."  
"Magenta Zinnia's mean: "Lasting Affection."  
"Ah. Well, how very apropos then."  
"I didn't realize Mrs. Winifred liked Zinnia's. I shall have to bring her a bouquet next time we go to Mystic Meadows."

He smiled at the girls thoughtfulness. "That's very kind of you, Princess. I'm sure she would be touched by the gesture."  
"Well, of course! Mrs. Winifred has always been so kind to me and everyone loves to get flowers!"

He wanted to say that he highly doubted that that was true, but before he could speak, Sofia pulled him to a halt.  
"Here they are!" she announced.  
Before them were dozens of rose bushes.  
"So… this is what you wanted to show me?" he was thoroughly unimpressed.  
"No, silly, there's a particular bush of them, come on!"

and she led him further still to a bush of lavender roses. Come to think of it, she did favor that color, didn't she?  
"Aren't they lovely!" he looked at the joy in the girls blue eyes, the way her darkened brown hair shone shades of red in the sunlight, and her sweet smile and thought:  
" _They look all the more lovelier with you standing beside them."_ He eyes went wide with sudden confusion and shock. Neptunes Nettles! Where had _that_ come from?! What a strange thought! He didn't really think that, did he? Well, perhaps she was lovely, but so were the roses, so was the sky, so were lots of things… He opted to ignore the strange thought had ever even entered his mind.

"Mr. Cedric?"  
"What?! Oh, yes, lovely!"  
"I'm almost tempted to pick them, but I can't bring myself to do it."  
"Why not?"  
"Because they'll die and I'd hate to kill them. I'd want them to remain like this always. To preserve this memory."  
Cedric wanted to point out that whether she picked them or not, they would die, but he bit his tongue, not wanting to upset her again and then have to deal with a pouting princess. He said nothing for a while, and they continued their walk through the rose garden. But he couldn't help but study her for a moment when they stopped again, and he absently reached down to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.  
He'd surprised himself again, why had he done _that?_ And why was she looking at him so strangely? She looked almost joyful, but there was something else there. Something he couldn't put his finger on. She'd looked at him like this a number of times ever since that rabbit of hers died. It was all very disconcerting.

She smiled at him and then looking away, she asked:  
"What did you do that for?"  
He didn't know what to say… "B-because you're hair was a mess and it was bothering me!" he snipped. Yes, that must have been the reason why. Honestly, why even ask him something so ridiculous?!  
"Oh…" she sounded disappointed. What in Merlin's name, was she disappointed about?!

They walked along in silence a bit longer and he was bothered by it. Why wasn't she talking his ear off? He needed to find something to talk about. The lavender roses seemed to be a good as subject as any, it was a distraction anyway.  
"What do they mean?"  
"Hmm? What does what mean?" She asked distractedly.

"Those lavender roses, you were just fawning over. You said that flowers all have a certain meaning, what's there's?!" Honestly,she could be so infuriating.

"Oh! Um, Lavender roses, mean 'Enchantment'."  
"Well… I suppose that's very fitting, for a Sorceress in training, then isn't it?"  
"Yes, I suppose it would be." Silence fell again.

"Mr. Cedric, can I ask you something?"  
"It depends on what it is."  
"Well, I just wanted to know, how you feel about-"  
But he would never know what she was meant to ask, because just then Princess Amber camping running up to them.  
"Oh, Sofia, where have you been?!I've been looking everywhere for you! We need you in the kitchen now, there's an issue with the cake!"  
"Oh Amber, I'm sure it's fine, I was-"  
"No, you need to come, right Now!" She pulled Sofia along and Cedric watched as the Brunette Princess shot a pleading look in his direction, but he simply shrugged in reply.  
"You'd better get that taken care of Princess Sofia." he said, looking for an excuse to retreat back to his tower.  
"Yes, I guess you're right. Bye, Mr. Cedric…" she seemed to want to linger there, but Amber pulled her along.  
"Oh come on Sofia, it's just Cedric, you'll see him later!" And he watched Sofia wave as she was pulled out of sight.

He breathed a sigh of relief. _Finally_ he could get back to his beloved workshop. That whole walk had been strange. He felt sufficiently overwhelmed. He needed to relax until that ridiculous party tonight. Yes, to his workshop he would go!

He suddenly found himself standing in front of the Lavender rose bushes. She had been terribly taken with those. It was something she wanted… Oh, he shouldn't. It was a ridiculous idea. She'd be furious if he killed them. What had she said? " _I'd want them to remain like this always. To preserve this memory."_ To preserve… Oh Poseidon's Pumpkins, he knew a spell.  
He sighed. At Least he'd have a gift for her now. Shaking his head at himself in disgust, he used a cutting spell with his wand to remove six of them. They had dangerously sharp thorns. He'd have to remove those, lest she hurt herself. Well, six was sufficient… or wasn't there usually a dozen roses in a bouquet? He glanced around. There, opposite to him, stood a white rose bush. Well, she favored white too and he did recall that color meaning innocence or something of that sort. Yes, Enchantment and innocence, those fit her. He used a spell to cut off six of those with his wand and quickly used a transport spell to return to his workshop so that no one would see him with the roses. The things he did for that girl...

* * *

Cedric walked down the corridors of the castle to Sofia's bedchambers. It had taken several hours, but he'd achieved the desired spell and he now held a perfectly preserved, time frozen bouquet of flowers. He had tied them with a cast off black ribbon that at one point had probably been used on a scroll.

He'd decided it would be better to give these to her before her party out of view from prying eyes. He was starting to regret the decision to even give them to her, though. Whether she liked them or not, he felt it was somehow insignificant and all too sentimental for his tastes. He'd only done it to silence that feeling of guilt that had been gnawing at him. No other reason.

In his own opinion, he thought he'd done a nice job. Yes, he was rather pleased with the results. But he thought back to the memory from his youth, of the golden haired girl and the marigolds, he started to question himself again. That look of pity in her hazel eyes had haunted him to this day, and he somehow couldn't bear the thought of seeing that look in Sofia's eyes. It helped to tell himself that this obviously was a completely different scenario, and deep down he knew Sofia would accept the gift with her usual exuberance. Still, he was tempted to turn back and end this farce of giving her a birthday gift altogether, but when he looked up again he was at her door.  
He sighed, took a deep breath and knocked.  
She hadn't even answered and he already regretted it. But then she appeared dressed in a blue gown that matched her eyes. She seemed very surprised.  
"Mr. Cedric! What are you doing here?!"  
He couldn't think of anything to say. He was suddenly that boorish, clumsy young man again. Who was he kidding? Now he was a boorish, clumsy, old man.  
"I uh- Here!" he unceremoniously thrust the bouquet into her hands. She looked up at him in confusion.  
"The roses… but-"  
"Don't worry, I used a preservation potion and a time freezing spell. The flowers are frozen like that, for- well, forever really. So, yes, you can preserve that memory that you wanted. For whatever reason, and You don't have to worry about killing them." he was blasé in his description and he was feeling foolish for the effort, but there was a small part of him who was eager to see her reaction. She looked to the roses and back at him a few times, until a broad smile broke out across her face! She threw her arms around him in an excited embrace. He should have expected that, but he tensed up none the less.  
"Oh, Mr. Cedric! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love them so much! You have no idea how much this means to me! I shall keep them always!" Cedric felt his heart melt a bit and smiled, as he awkwardly returned her embrace.  
"It's nothing really." he said dismissively, but he was so relieved she liked them.  
"Well, I'd better go. I still have things to do and it seems that you have to finish getting ready."  
"Oh, alright. I'll see you tonight, then?"  
"Yes. I'll be there with bells on. He deadpanned as he began to depart.  
"Oh, Mr. Cedric?!" he turned to see what she wanted, a bit confused.  
"Yes, Princess?"  
"This is my favorite gift!"  
"Sofia, you haven't received anyone else's yet, why would you say that?"  
"Because they're from you!" she laughed, her brilliant blue eyes beaming at him, until she turned and closed the door behind her.

Cedric just shook his head and then chuckled to himself in amusement as he headed towards his tower. She had been acting so strangely affectionate toward him ever since her pet rabbit had died, and he wasn't sure why, but at that moment, she was happy and he was pleased to have had a part in it. Perhaps, he could enjoy himself just a little tonight after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Age 21- Waltzes**

Sofia looked down at the ingredients in front of her.

She hoped the measurements had been right. She was keenly aware of Cedric watching her every move from behind. He was testing her on this potion, and the current ingredient was a fine powder,that she was horrified came from crushing ants. It would make her cough he said

but it also made her increasingly nervous because what if she used too much? She took a moment, closed her eyes and took a deep breath, hoping to compose herself.  
"Focus, Princess." she heard Cedric say quietly.  
"It's a bit hard with you staring at me!"  
"What?! I'-I'm not staring at you! I I- I'm making sure you don't add the wrong ingredients or boil that for too long, because the last thing I need is to clean up another explosion!"  
"You're faith in me is overwhelming." Sofia deadpanned.

"Oh, don't go throwing that at me, that's _my_ line! You're acting as if I'm my father or something!"  
Sofia started to turn around to shoot Cedric a look.  
"Ah-ah-ah Eyes on the potion! You have to time that you know! If you look away it could lead to disastrous consequences.  
Sofia sighed and dropped her shoulders..

"And don't hunch!"

"Mr. Cedric, I think you're the only one here acting as if you're Mr. Goodwin." she said quietly.

"I-Tha-" Cedric went silent and then sighed. "Alright, you've made your point. Just finish that up _carefully."_ and although she couldn't see it she knew he had turned around because she heard him muttering to Wormwood.

She tried to ignore it and again focus on the potion in front of her. If she were doing things properly the concoction should turn an amber gold in colour, but as she observed the mixture she couldn't help but notice that it was closer to a yellow, like straw. Too light. For a moment she felt that perhaps Amber was rubbing off on her too much, because how silly it was to be worried a slight difference in the hue. And yet, in her not completely rested state and wanting to make sure that this potion wasn't going go up in smoke, she thought she should ask an expert, even if he was testing her.

"Mr. Cedric!" she cried anxiously.

"What?!" there was a note of concern to his voice.  
"I- I- think I may have done something wrong!"  
" _What?!"_ a look of alarm crossed Cedric's features and he rushed over to where she stood and quickly ushered her away from the cauldron.  
"Get behind me."

"What?"  
"Just get behind me, Sofia!" he snapped.

She did so, suddenly realizing it was so she was out of the way in case the potion exploded. So that he could protect her… she knew her well being was a priority seeing as she was the King's daughter, but she couldn't help but feel her poor heart flutter slightly at the thought,

Cedric studied the colour and then seemed to calm down.

"It's fine. But you need to stir."  
"Are- are you sure?"  
"Yes, I'm sure. What kind of a question is that?" he pushed her back up to the cauldron and handed her a large wooden spoon.  
"Stir?" Sofia had been up all night studying and she was suddenly feeling awfully tired and lightheaded. She began to do as he had instructed but paused for a moment, suddenly uncertain and glanced up at the Sorcerer again.  
He rolled his eyes at her.  
"Oh Solomon's Seal, Sofia! Like this!" and then he grabbed her wrist and began guiding her hands along slowly in a counterclockwise movement. He was so close to her, his head hovering above her shoulder, and his chest pressed against her back. She felt her heart speed up. He hardly ever got this close to her on his own. She quickly reminded herself that he probably wasn't thinking about what he was doing and it meant nothing and as soon as he did realize how close they were he would pull away. She was aware that she could have easily stirred it by herself even in her tired state and that perhaps, she'd been hoping something like this would happen. She felt a trifle bit guilty, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to enjoy it. He smelled of fresh herbs and old parchment as he always did. She tried to shake away these thoughts and focus again, the colour of the potion was becoming darker and warmer, closer to what it should be.  
"It's almost very lovely." she murmured.  
"Hmmm… yes… beautiful..." there was a distracted note to his voice. And he was still so close to her. She fought at the tingling sensation she felt in her chest, swallowing hard and still trying to focus on her potion. It took her a moment to speak again.  
"Is that right?" she whispered.  
"What?!" Cedric suddenly seemed keenly aware of his close proximity to her and quickly backed away. The poor Princess felt a stab of disappointment, but then mentally chided herself for indulging in his closeness when she had a potion to finish.  
"The colour. I mean is the colour right, it says amber gold in the book."

"Yes. Let cool a moment, and then we'll try it on the flower I've collected from the garden." he said quickly.

"You were in the garden picking flowers?" she asked hardly able to conceal the amusement in her voice.

" _A Flower._ As in one, and someone had to seeing as you were off galavanting in Rudistan."  
"I couldn't help that!"  
Cedric didn't respond, aside from some grumbling as he walked over to one of his tables and lifted a square of silk, he then produced the flower. A Sunflower, to be exact.  
"Oh it's beautiful! Sunflowers are one of my favorites!"  
"Hmmm… yes. Well, I thought it would pair well with your insufferably sunny disposition." he tried to seem annoyed, but there was a hint of a smile that betrayed his pleasure at Sofia's reaction to his selection.

He handed her the flower.  
"Now, lay it down, on the piece of material I've provided. Next fill the beaker there with the potion. Carefully." Sofia did as he bid her, careful not to spill any. The potion reminded her of honey, both in its colour and viscosity.  
"Very good, now pour three drops onto the flower. No less, no more."

Again, Sofia followed his directions, as each droplet hit the flower it seemed to shimmer and sparkle.  
She couldn't help but articulate her wonder, in murmurs of "ooh and ahh" magic never lost any of its allure for her, even now as a young woman.  
"Very good, let's see how effective it is." Cedric picked up the flower, running his slender fingers over it.

"It feels stiffer than it should be. It should retain it's normal flexibility. But all in all it isn't bad for a first attempt at a preservation spell."  
Sofia tried to smile but it didn't quite reach her eyes, she felt like a bit of a failure that it wasn't exactly how it should be.  
"I'm sorry it wasn't perfect." she heard herself murmur.  
Cedric frowned

"Oh come now, as I said it could have been a lot worse. If it makes you feel better, my first attempt at the spell I added too much riddle rootou and it was so stiff that it broke into pieces. Yours is still flexible enough not to worry about that. All in all, well done."  
"Thank you, Mr. Cedric.

He gave her a small half smile, but then sobered for a minute before saying quietly.

"If you'd been home to study with me, odds are you would have had a perfect first attempt."  
She laughed slightly at that.  
"Someone is quite confident, in themselves."  
"Hmm. Well unlike a certain Sorcerer of Rudistan, I know what I am doing."  
"I wish you'd come with us. She said quietly.  
"Yes well… Did Greylock even go over your lessons with you?"  
"Not exactly. He did ask about _you_ though, he said he wished you'd come as well."  
"I'm sure he did." he drawled.  
"I'm sure he would have had a grand time terrorizing me as always." he continued.  
"Oh, don't say that! He's your friend, Mr. Cedric! He seemed quite upset not to see you."  
"He's not my friend! I don't have friends!" he snapped.

Wormwood cawed angrily from his perch: "And just _what_ does that make me?" the bird rasped. Sofia looked at the Raven and nodded in agreement, shooting Cedric a hurt look. "How can you say that?" she asked quietly.  
The Sorcerer looked slightly embarrassed, and quickly said:  
"Present company excluded, obviously. You know that." he sighed heavily and then continued:  
"Alright, so if he didn't go over your lessons with you, what _did_ Greylock teach you, exactly?

"Well, Mr. Greylock did show me some tricks…"  
Cedric rolled his eyes " As if I had to ask. I can only imagine what tricks _he_ showed you. I imagine they involved a fair bit of pranking?"

"Well… yes… it was something like that. I could show you if you wanted." she said mischievously pointing her wand at him."  
"Don't you dare."  
"I'm only kidding!"  
"Honestly, I'm a bit surprised you even partook in his tomfoolery. Unlike Greylock, You're not a child."  
Sofia was slightly hurt by the bitterness in his tone. Not a child! Well he certainly still treated her as though she were one!  
"We were just having fun. You should try it sometime." there was an edge to her voice she used when annoyed and Cedric evidently noticed it. He flushed a bit.

"Well if Greylock is _so_ much fun, why don't you just stay in Rudistan and be his apprentice?!" he snapped.

Sofia was stunned and instantly guilty, the way Cedric was acting he seemed almost jealous. Which was ridiculous, how could he ever think she'd prefer anyone else to him? He really couldn't see how crazy she was about him, how much he meant to her, could he?  
"Mr. Cedric, you're acting ridiculous!" she cried, though with a gentleness.  
"Am I? Am I, really?! I know how much _fun_ Greylock is. Or thinks he is anyway, and I'm apparently like my father so…" Oh, he was mad at her.

She thought she knew how to remedy that, or at least she hoped so. She walked over and hugged him. He tensed up as usual.

"Mr. Greylock isn't you." She said softly. She suddenly realized how that might have sounded and added "After all, you're the best Sorcerer in the world, aren't you?! Why would I want to apprentice for anyone else?" He pulled away and looked at her, and after a moment he patted her on the shoulder and walked away silently.

"I missed you." she said in a small voice, unable to hold back the words.

Cedric turned around and looked at her in surprise.  
"What?!"  
"While I was in Rudistan. I missed you. Very, very much."  
"You weren't even gone a week." was his puzzled reply.

"I know, but I still missed you." She paused, uncertain if she should ask the next thing, she decided to, it couldn't hurt.  
"D-Did you miss me?"

Cedric looked taken aback that she'd asked.  
"Miss you?" he asked softly.  
She nodded.

"I-Well, - you're..." he stopped and the puzzlement on his face changed to annoyance.  
"Miss you bothering me every five minutes? I think not! I enjoy my peace and quiet, thank you very much!

Sofia couldn't help but flinch slightly. She was pragmatic enough to know that she'd receive an answer of that ilk from Cedric, but hopeful enough that perhaps, for once, he'd admit to something she could already see was true. She knew she shouldn't have to hear him say it, but she wished that he would.

Perhaps, Cedric noticed her crestfallen expression, she couldn't be sure, but he let out a defeated sigh before saying in a low and hurried voice:  
"Maybe a little bit."

"Really?!" she asked as her heart fluttered and a small smile came to her lips.

He rolled his eyes, but she noticed the corner of his mouth twitch slightly upward.  
"For maybe a moment or two… Don't make me regret saying that. I have a reputation you know, so don't go off telling everyone. They'll think I've gone soft or something."  
Sofia giggled.

"And just what is so funny about that?"  
"Oh, nothing. Don't worry, Mr. Cedric. It'll be our secret. Besides, I'm sure no one thinks you've 'gone soft.'"

"Hmmpphh."

Neither of them spoke for a few minutes. Sofia was beginning to regret being so candid with him, not that it mattered, he seemed oblivious to her affections anyway.

"Anyway, you're back now, aren't you? So let's just forget about it, shall we?  
Sofia felt a pang of guilt, she'd been hoping not to tell him quite yet that she'd be leaving again soon, but she supposed she should.

"Well ... the thing is… I'm going to be leaving again in two and a half weeks."  
Cedric looked at her stunned, and she felt the knot of guilt tighten in her chest. He _did_ miss her. She knew it. He'd downplay it, but she had a feeling he'd become accustomed to having her presence there. Even if he'd never admit it, and here she was leaving him again.

"A-Again? Where?" he asked quietly.

"Tangu, for Hildegard and Zandar's wedding."

"For How long?"  
"I'm not sure. For three weeks at least …"

"Oh, well…" he had grown quiet and walked away from her. She hated seeing him like this. She wasn't sure what to say, but Cedric was the first to break the silence.

"Do we have any more interruptions in the time left that I do have you still- I- I mean in the time we have our lessons together?" she looked at him that had been an odd way to phrase something "I _n the time left that I do have you still."_ That he had _her_. She felt that flutter in her heart again. Perhaps, he didn't feel the same way for her, but he must feel _something_ for her. She smiled at him sadly.

"You have some more things to teach me?"  
"Obviously." the irritated tone had returned.  
"Well, I mean, not really. I'll be able to come to our lessons as usual. There is _one_ thing though."  
"And just _what_ is that?" Sofia suddenly realized he didn't know what event was coming up. He'd remembered last year, well, it was still a ways off, she shouldn't let it bother her,

"Oh I mean, nothing too terribly important. Just my Birthday."  
Cedric's eyes grew wide. "Oh. OH. Yes, I hadn't realized how soon that was…. I uh, I suppose you'll be wanting some sort of magic show, won't you?"

"Well, not exactly…"  
"Oh… well, it's just as well. I prefer the solitude of my tower anyway. It's quite a relief actually!" But he didn't seemed relieved, if she hadn't known any better she almost swore that he seemed disappointed. There seemed to be a bit of hurt in his countenance. She wasn't sure if she'd imagined it or not, because it left just as quickly as it had come. Sofia reached out, and tentatively placed a hand on his shoulder, he stiffened, but didn't pull away.

"Don't be silly, I still want you there of course!"  
"Y-You do?"  
"Yes, as my guest!"  
"Your…. guest?"  
"Mmm hmm! You'd be a very special guest, actually."

" A 'Special guest?' Just exactly what does that entail?" he asked looking at her suspiciously.

Sofia took a deep breath and summoned her courage, knowing only too full well how Cedric would react, but hanging on to the fleeting hope that he would atleast give this a chance.

"I was wondering if you would dance with me? The Waltz, to be precise."  
Cedric gaped at her.  
"M-Me, dance with _You?_ "

"Yep!"

"You've got to be joking."

"No! Why would I joke about something like that? I truly, want you to dance with me. I think it'd be fun." she smiled at him sincerely hoping for a favorable reaction.  
He laughed then, but it was mirthless. She couldn't help but flinch internally at the harsh sound.

" _Fun?!_ I highly doubt that. More like absolutely dreadful. No. There is no way I'm doing _that."_

Sofia was disappointed, but she was very skilled at talking people, particularly Cedric, into doing something they might not normally do.

"And just why not?"  
"Well, first of all, I'm not a horrible dancer. I don't dance at all as a matter of fact, and intend to keep it that way. Second: Do you realize how ridiculous we'd look out there?!"  
"If it's something as simple as that, I could easily teach you a simple waltz. As for the other thing, why would it look ridiculous? You're my friend aren't you? That means you're special to me, and this Waltz is supposed to be special, so why wouldn't I want to share it with you?"

Cedric's expression softened ever so slightly, but he continued to frown. "Why not dance with Prince James, then? Or one of your school chums? Aren't they special to you too?"  
"Yes, of course, but I want _you._ " she suddenly realized how that sounded. Even if Cedric was oblivious, she felt the need to backtrack. She looked down to the floor, and nervously began to play with the chain of her Amulet. "What I mean is, I've danced with many of them before. Never with you. I thought it would make turning twenty-one extra special." she finished lamely.  
"Right. So I'd be some sort of novelty, then? Let's dance with the Royal Sorcerer for a lark! That's what you mean, is it?"  
Sofia looked up horrified, how could he possibly think something like that?  
"No! No, that's not what I meant at all. You're my friend, I like you and I want to dance with you. That's what I meant. Just that. So won't you? _Please?"_  
He didn't answer her right away, he looked at her strangely and blinked a few times, his lips slightly parted, before he narrowed his eyes at her. For her part, Sofia felt embarrassed, but she continued to gaze at him imploringly.

Finally Cedric spoke: "I suppose I'm flattered or something, but my answer is no. I'm not doing it. My mind's made up and don't think you can convince me otherwise!"  
Sofia's initial disappointment gave way to a hopeful determination. She knew quite well she could convince the Sorcerer to dance with her. She decided not to press him anymore, at least not today. She simply looked up at him, smiled and said in a sing song voice: "Whatever you say, Mr. Cedric."  
He obviously knew what she had in mind, but he didn't accuse her at least not yet. He scowled at her and then said: "Well, It's nearly Six O'Clock, so you might as well leave now." Sofia was disappointed, but she would oblige Cedric for now.  
"Oh, alright, then. Well, I'll see you tomorrow?"  
"Yes, yes." he said impatiently.

Sofia began to depart but Cedric suddenly called her back again.  
"Princess, wait..."

Her poor heart began to beat a little faster.  
"Yes, Mr. Cedric? she asked hopefully.  
"Um… you forgot this." He held out the Time frozen Sunflower she had tested the potion on.  
"Is… that for me?"  
"Well, you're the one who enchanted it… and I have absolutely no use for it… so just.. take it."  
She smiled at the gesture and took the flower from his hands, quickly squeezing them.  
"Thank you, Mr. Cedric! I'll see you tomorrow!" and she departed, hugging the sunflower, that he'd picked with her tastes in mind to her breast and began planning out just how she would convince Cedric to be her waltz partner.

Because there was no doubt in her mind, that in the end he would be.

 **A/N: Sorry for the long delay. Life and depression and my focus on my original story have distracted me from this ship.**  
 **I'm going to try to write the third (and hopefully final) chapter to this soon and then try my best to start working on "I'd send a Blackbird to Steal Your Heart" again, along with some pieces involving my original story.**  
 **I don't know how soon it will be... but, I will try.**

 **Reviews are very much appreciated.**

 **I've been out of practise for a while, I do hope this isn't too horrible.**


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